


Aftermath

by Koschei_Oakdown



Category: Green Lantern - All Media Types
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-03-07
Updated: 2018-03-07
Packaged: 2019-03-28 05:08:36
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,980
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13896927
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Koschei_Oakdown/pseuds/Koschei_Oakdown
Summary: Hal threw a party to stop Sin's evil plan





	Aftermath

**Author's Note:**

> Credit to DC Comics

When Hal woke, with a pounding headache and no memory of anything leading to this moment, he was aware only of the cool smooth surface he rested against rising and falling in a steady rhythm. The significance didn't immediately register as he was too busy trying to recover his memories but once it had, he cracked one eye open, wary of who his latest bad decision would be. His vision was blurred, probably a side effect of his massive hangover, but not enough to obscure the easily recognisable colour of skin. Whether that was bad or not remained to be seen, but Hal was content enough to make no move to push Sinestro off of him. Instead, he turned his head slightly and examined his surroundings.

It was clear that he had found himself in the aftermath of what looked like a seriously awesome party. The place was trashed, as usually happened, and while some people around him seemed in the same state as him, others were making very fed up attempts at tidying up. Broken dishes, spilt alcohol, scraps of food and of course, bits of clothing, mostly underwear all lay strewn around. With the thought, Hal glanced down at himself and was relieved to find that he, at least, had kept his own underwear, as well as his jeans. No sign of green - he was in civvies? That led to a hasty examination of his right hand and a sigh of relief to find his ring still there, though it was dead flat. The lack of charge hardly mattered, it could easily be fixed.

An idea occurring at the thought of losing his ring, Hal turned his gaze on Sinestro. It seemed that they were curled up together on the floor, Thaal using Hal's jacket as a pillow and Hal using the alien as one. An interesting arrangement, though he wasn't quite sure how that could have come about. Anyway, he remembered, there was something he was looking to do so he fumbled for Sinestro's left hand and tugged off the yellow ring. That done, he painstakingly shoved it into the tight pocket of his jeans, with a lot of pushing and prodding, ensuring that the other man couldn't run off or attack him or any other insane idea that might go through his head.

Once he'd finished that and glanced back up at Sinestro, he found the man staring back at him, but making no move to stop him. His expression was unreadable, Hal wasn't sure if he should be fleeing in terror or taking advantage of the situation they found themselves in. Unless he already had. Even if he already had, he had no qualms on going again.

"Uh, hey?" he greeted, bringing his hand up to give Sinestro a wave, though it was small and timid.

Instead of responding, Sinestro rolled over onto his stomach and buried his face in his makeshift pillow. His action destroyed Hal's comfortable position so Hal shifted around to lay against Thaal's side, head resting between his shoulder blades now, and admired the sharp vertebrae now presented to him, the skin so incredibly smooth. Curious, he reached out and traced a line along Sinestro's spine, feeling ridges under his fingers, but stopped when Sinestro murmured a sleepy, and somewhat whiny, "Leave me alone."

Smiling, Hal withdrew his hand but didn't go anywhere. "You're such a sweetheart," he teased. "An incredible way with words. You could make the universe fall in love with just the eloquence of your speech."

"Mmm, I know," Sinestro replied, and he must not have understood the sarcasm if he sounded that pleased with himself. Still, the misunderstanding apparently earned Hal points in the don't throw him away like trash category for Sinestro seemed content to stay where he was too.

"Do you remember anything?" Hal asked after a while of lazy silence. It was so quiet in fact, that he wondered if Sinestro had fallen asleep. That was dismissed a moment later when the man answered him.

"I remember you walking in and derailing my plans by throwing an impromptu party. Your fellow Green Lanterns, as I recall, were not impressed. They left when you started taking your clothes off." The words sparked Hal's memory and though it hurt to think, and the recall was blurry, he could confirm the truth to Sinestro's words. In his own defense, the situation had been very politically fragile so he'd done what he'd thought was the best way to cause a distraction. The civilians had been eager to cooperate at the promise of a good time and whatever excuses Hal had thrown out off the top of his head. Then, somehow, between the loud music and high amounts of alcohol, Hal had dragged Sinestro into the fun, the only one who would join him with the other Green Lanterns firmly refusing.

What happened next was even more of a blur, less because of the alcohol and more because the emotion had taken up most of Hal's capacity to remember. Every touch of Thaal's skin had him falling deeper, the brush of lips a doorway to a different world, but it was the closeness that controlled him so completely. "You're a good dancer," Hal complimented, casual as. "Did I step on you?" It was a usual occurrence whenever he attempted to dance, but with his memories lost as they were, he couldn't be sure.

"A few times," Sinestro confirmed, though he didn't sound too upset. No, he didn't sound like he cared about much at all. Probably a good thing for Hal. "I hardly noticed, distracted as I was at the time." Muscles tensed up underneath Hal in preparation to move and he sat up, a moment before Sinestro did. The Korugarian rubbed at his eyes and there was a slight pause as he pulled his hands back to see the absence of his ring. Nervously, Hal fidgeted, but Sinestro didn't comment, just dropped his hands back down and stared at the ground. When he looked up, he met Hal's eyes and reflected there was no desire to fight.

Now that Hal was sitting up, his head was protesting very loudly and he rubbed at it, wondering if this was the moment he should be regretting existing. What, after all, was he left with? The empty victory of stopping whatever Sinestro had been up to? That should be enough but it would only happen again, and again, unless he could stop the pathetic cycle he was trapped in.

"Jordan." Strangely quiet, the sound drew Hal out of his thoughts, and he focused back on the bright gaze directed his way which was a lot closer than it had been before. And then, as though his body assumed it to be an automatic next step to this kind of intimacy, Hal's eyes flicked down to the smooth curve of Thaal's lips but he hastily redirected them back up so fast he himself wouldn't have noticed. But he was sure Sinestro would. If he had, however, he didn't comment. "I find myself to be torn, in a way I think you may be familiar with." It was probably the alcohol that had contributed to Sinestro's newfound desire to be open.

Hal scoffed, but didn't break eye contact, as though if he did, the fragility of the mood would crack and he would be alone. His dismissal was clearly displeasing to Sinestro for he narrowed his eyes, a warning sign that Hal ignored. "I don't want to fight you," Sinestro said suddenly and with the increased volume, Hal could feel the man's breath on his face.

"I wouldn't want to fight me either," Hal quipped, dodging the topic. Now, he broke the eye contact, gaze dropping down to the ground, and twiddled his thumbs. Yes, he knew what Sinestro was saying, knew it like the speeding up of his own heartbeat, but to confirm it, to actually take part in the discussion was a step towards a place he didn't want to be. Except Sinestro had never taken well to being ignored and Hal flinched as the Korugarian's sharp black nails dug into the skin of his upper arm.

"Do you feel nothing?" Sinestro hissed at him, surprising Hal with the abrupt change in mood. "Is this -" Sinestro's other hand came up to rest on Hal's cheek, thumb making a brief caress over the skin - "nothing?"

The fingernails in Hal's arm stung, the headache of his hangover throbbed, but it was Sinestro's words that hurt him the most. The light touch on his face coaxed forward his longing, and he knew it would be visible, confirmed a moment later by the vicious satisfaction that sparked in Sinestro's eyes. Hal gritted his teeth and tugged Sinestro's hand away. The proud emotion faded from the other man's eyes, to be replaced by something far more soft. "I don't wish to hurt you." The roller coaster of Thaal's emotion was hard for Hal to keep up with, for the tone of voice was quiet again and unbelievable.

"But you are!" Hal snapped, and one of the people that had been snoring quietly nearby woke with a start. Unless anyone around them could speak English or Korugarian, Hal wasn't too concerned, but was considerate enough to lower his voice and lean closer. Now, he could feel every breath on his face, even though it remained light and easy, unconcerned. "You are," Hal repeated, making an effort to control himself, eyes fixed on Sinestro's collar bone. "You have to know you are."

The tight grip on Hal's arm released and he winced, mildly concerned that it might be bleeding. Sinestro was like a cat, unaware that scratching would hurt humans and anything else that ended up under his claws. Or maybe he just didn't care.

"It is not my intention, not in this moment," Sinestro confessed as Hal preoccupied himself studying the bright red marks on his own skin where he could still feel a slight stinging pain. The words weren't a surprise to him, but whether they were sincere or not was a question he had to avoid asking himself. In fact, he wasn't sure how much more of this he could take. He couldn't wait around to find out, that he did know, and as Sinestro's fingers trailed over his chest, he searched around in his pocket, his haste making him clumsy.

After more time than it should have taken, Hal had the yellow ring in his hand and he shoved it Sinestro before the other man could try anything else. "Go," he said, throat uncomfortably dry. "Please go."

Sinestro paused his exploration of Hal's chest, fingers still, and the silence went on for so long Hal found himself looking up, desperate for some indication of what the Korugarian was thinking. No answer was found, Thaal's brow was furrowed and he was staring at his ring like he'd never seen it before. "Sin?" Though the nickname was spoken uncertainly, as it usually was these days, Hal unsure sometimes if he was talking to the same person, it had the effect of pulling Sinestro's gaze up. There was a short pause, but Sinestro finally took the ring and leaned forward, his lips brushing Hal's cheek.

"Thank you," came the quiet murmur in Hal's ear and then Sinestro was on his feet, before Hal had time to register the words. Brief regret held Hal's attention for a moment and he bit his tongue to stop himself from saying anything as he watched the yellow suit form over Sinestro's body. The shimmering light was bright, too bright for Hal and his sensitive eyes so he squinted and turned his head away. "Do not think you have won anything, Jordan," Sinestro warned, sounding a whole lot more snotty now he had his ring back. "This is but a small delay."


End file.
